Albert-Margaret Heads to Green Bay as Season Picks Up

Chris Izworski, reporting from Bay City for the Great Lakes Gazette, notes that the Albert-Margaret is inbound to Green Bay as the 2026 shipping season gains momentum following the official start of navigation in late March. The vessel's arrival underscores renewed activity at the Port of Green Bay, where officials are hoping to reverse the soft tonnage numbers from last year. Port of Green Bay Director Dean Haen acknowledged the challenges of 2025, when the port handled about 1.6 million tons of cargo—down roughly 6 percent from the prior year. Tariff concerns early last year, combined with declines in regional construction, manufacturing, and agricultural activity, all weighed on volumes. This year's early activity suggests cautious optimism, though the season is still finding its footing. Water levels across the Great Lakes remain favorable for navigation heading into late spring. Lake Erie stands 2.62 feet above Low Water Datum, while Lake Ontario is running even higher at 3.16 feet. Superior, Michigan, and Huron are tracking 1.22 to 1.61 feet above datum—solid conditions for vessel operations. Marine forecasts show light to moderate wave action across all five lakes today, with weak pressure systems moving through the region but nothing severe enough to disrupt transit. Fittingly, as the shipping season resumes, the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo opens "Currents of Change: The Living History of the Great Lakes" this Earth Day. The exhibit explores how people and freshwater ecosystems have shaped each other through time—from early fur trade economies to today's challenges with invasive species and harmful algal blooms. It's a reminder that every vessel movement on these waters is part of a much larger story.